Pneumatic transport systems are widely known and used to transport articles from one location to another. Pneumatic transport or delivery systems commonly consist of tubes or conduits through which a carrier travels by means of pneumatic pressure. The pneumatic pressure may be provided by a blower, a pressurizer, or a vacuum source. Perhaps the most common use of pneumatic transport systems is in drive-in bank teller systems where banking business is conducted by a carrier transported between the bank and a remote drive-in teller terminal. Other uses for pneumatic transport systems include the moving of documents between floors in a building or from office to office. Pneumatic transport systems that are capable of operating at slower speeds may be used in transporting blood samples and other "fragile" cargo.
In previous pneumatic transport systems, it has been necessary to employ a mechanical catch device for the purpose of holding the carrier in a desired position upon its arrival at a terminal. This situation is particularly evident where the carrier is traveling upwardly as it enters the terminal in which case gravity will cause the carrier to exit the terminal and re-enter the transport tube. An example of a pneumatic transport system utilizing a mechanical catch device is set forth in U.S Pat. No. 4,971,481 filed Feb. 10, 1989, "Pneumatic Tube Stop Device and Terminal."
The present invention provides a pneumatic transport terminal capable of receiving and retaining a carrier without the need for a mechanical catch apparatus.